1. Editorial |
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Some 25 years ago the Society raised the funds and built the Postgraduate Centre as a
building for the furtherance of local medical training, for
facilities to be made available to hospital residents (who are honorary members), for
library facilities for society members and as a base for other society activities and social functions. In otherwords, the Postgraduate Centre is the
Society's home.
In return for providing the building with secretarial staffing, and an allowance for new books, we have
allowed the hospital (now Trust) to borrow the building for special events, important meetings etc. However, it
still remains OUR building. At the recent AGM one of the suggestions put forward was that the
building be turned into a medical services centre, to be used.. by all hospital professional bodies' under
combined medical and trust management.
Whilst the arguments for this are quite persuasive, I am convinced that such a concept would produce a
disastrous result. Having experienced management of all kinds over many years, I am convinced that such an
arrangement would kill the centre. I am also quite certain that the centre
would soon lose its appeal to, and contact with, general practice which would move elsewhere, and the
Society would lose its home. I implore all members to think hard before allowing such a radical
change to OUR building.
I should like to thank the Society for allowing me to be its
president and thank you for an enjoyable year. We started the year with a trivia quiz held at the
Postgraduate Centre. It was well supported with 13 teams of 4 and I think all enjoyed the evening.
We had a tremendous turnout for Dr. Mike Stroud who gave a superb and fascinating illustrated talk on his
explorations of the polar regions. The audience appeared spellbound. For one and
a half hours there was hardly a sound or movement except in response to his talk. We were
pleased to welcome Phyllis Oxberrow and her husband that evening and we were able to give her a donation for
her work in Tanzania.
We held our Annual Dinner at the Heath Hotel in May with excellent support from members and an amusing talk by the guest speaker Colonel John Blashford
Snell. It was a pity that the Jazz Evening had to be cancelled because of lack of
support. We had hoped that this would bring together the loyal core of the Kidderminster Medical Society and the Junior Hospital Staff, but this was not to be.
The GPs put up a very poor show for the annual cricket match with only four players,
and had to give the match to the consultants by default. I have enjoyed my year as president enormously, and owe this to all the work
which goes on to organise these events by David Malcomson, Wendy Kingston and David Starkie - who remembered the cheque book on each occasion. I know they all
do a lot of hard work to make the social occasions pass so efficiently, and I would like
to thank them for all the work they do for the Society.
Sadly, we must record the death of Bob Gibbins, one of the very regular and loyal members of the KMS. He will be greatly missed, not only by this society but also
by many other organisations connected with the community. The newsletter continues to go from strength to strength, and many thanks to
Graeme Wilcox and Barrie Davies for that. They have also both been prime movers in
the setting up of the Wyre Forest Primary Care Centre which has again put Kidderminster on the map. It has been an incredible task to gain 100% support from
GPs as well as the FHSA, KHCT, NWHA and CHC and actually open on 1 st September 1995. It appears to have been well received by all and so many thanks to
those that have worked so hard to make it a success.
It only remains for me to thank you once again for the opportunity of being your
President and wish the incoming president a very successful year in office.
Jan
Adams
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INCOMING
PRESIDENT
Just a few days before the AGM I was sitting by the side of a pool in Florida with a very cold beer in one
hand and a good book in the other. The last person I expected to be on the other end of the telephone line
was David Starkie and the first thing that crossed my mind was that a virus had caused a catastrophe in
Kidderminster - I'm talking about my computer, not the patients! 'Bob Marriott, due to pressure of work, has had to
stand down as President of the Medical Society for the forthcoming year and we have decided to ask if you
would be prepared to stand'. I must confess to being completely speechless with surprise at the time and it took another 3 cans of Coors Extra Gold before I had
the courage to ring back and accept.
On a more serious note, I really am honoured and indeed proud to be asked to be President of the Kidderminster Medical Society; an honour bestowed
by your peers is far more significant and important than any other. I sincerely hope that I can live up to that honour.
I will do my very best to make it an interesting and exciting year, although I will rely heavily on David Malcomson, Wendy Kingston and David Starkie for their
help. Obviously at short notice I have ,not been able to put any plans to,gether -
suffice it to say that my main interests are Immediate medical care, foreign travel,
aeromedical repatriation and lawn bowls and I will leave it to your imaginations as
to what the content of my year may prove to be. I certainly intend to carry on with
the broad theme that Janette Adams used to make her year a successful one - using medicine as the basic foundation for leisure time activity and interests.
Barrie Davies
There was considerable discussion at the
AGM concerning the future of the appeal. Because of the intervention of the Scanner appeal,
the Post Graduate Centre appeal has rather lost it's way. In fact, many members have covenanted
but many have not and for the moment, none of the covenants have been activated.
Further factors complicating the issue are the fact that the pharmacy building may become
vacant and that the Trust is being pressurised to provide further support for Postgraduate
education.
Various ideas were presented at the meeting including continuing with the present
appeal and making a bid for the pharmacy and combining the centre with nursing and other
disciplines into a combined medical services centre under combined medical and trust
management. It was agreed to have a special meeting of the Society to discuss the future
of the appeal and the various options as soon as possible. An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society will be held at the
Postgraduate centre on Monday 15th January 1996 at 7.00pm. All members are requested to make an effort to attend.
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OBITUARY
DR. W. T. {TOM} MACKIE
Tom Mackie, who died recently aged 73, joined the York Street Practice in Stourport in 1951. He was a highlander by birth, began his medical studies at
Edinburgh at the early age of 17 and started practice here following National Service
and further obstetric experience because he particularly liked to use the Lucy Baldwin
Hospital. He was active in medical politics and was President of the Worcestershire
branch of the BMA in 1971 and was also President of the Kidderminster Medical Society in the same year.
He retired in 1987, after 37 years in practice, because he could see the changes that were coming in the NHS, most of which he did not approve of. Following
his retirement, he concentrated on his golf, his garden and his contract bridge. He
was a county class bridge player and a gentleman in both senses of the word. His
quiet efficiency was much appreciated by his many patients and his partners both at,
and away from the bridge table.
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OBITUARY
PROFESSOR G.B. SIMON
One of our most influential members of years past, now sadly deceased, was Professor G.B. Simon (better known as Gerry), who was, until his retirement, Director
of Lea Castle Hospital and had a personal chair in mental handicap at the University
of Birmingham. I recently came across an obituary in which, member~, will be interested. A few extracts are printed below.
Gerry was born in Madras and joined the University of Madras. However, his studies were interrupted by the second World War and he saw action in the North-
West Frontier and Burma. Prior to his discharge, he developed tuberculosis. He then
came to England and went to Bristol Medical School, qualifying in January 1957.
I He did his early training in psychiatry in Somerset and Oxford and finally came
to Lea Castle in 1965, becoming medical director in 1967.
Gerry was very influential in promoting the increasing transfer of the mentally handicapped from hospital into the community. He wrote a book on the subject
entitled ' the Modern Management of Mental Handicap' and in 1980 became the first
director of the national Development Team in mental handicap. Later he set up the
British Institute of Mental Handicap, based at Lea Castle. He was also involved with
the activities of the National Rubella Association, and was its President from 1978.
Few of us will know that for services to mental handicap he was offered an M.B.E. in 1984, which he refused. He was given a personal chair in mental handicap
at Birmingham University, and assured that it was eventually converted into a permanent professorship - it is at present occupied by Professor Corbett.
He retired in 1986 after a recurrence of his tuberculosis, to which he finally
succumbed in 1991.
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OBITUARY
DR. JAMES STANTON PRICE
Dr. James (Jim) Price died after a long illness in Kidderminster on 2nd November 1995. Jim was brought up in Rowley Regis and qualified from the
University of Birmingham in 1935. He joined Dr. Crosskey in practice in Kidderminster!
during 1937. As well as the usual duties of family practice, Dr. Price gave
anaesthetics for operations carried out in the practice's nursing home in Mason Road.
During the war, Jim carried on, virtually alone, with a crushingly busy load of obstetric
work and general practice. The nursing home closed in 1946 and Dr. Price moved his
rapidly growing practice to Church Street. Jim was joined by Dr. Martha (Mick) Aylward in 1952 and by Rod Summers and Red Walker in the late 1960s. The
partnership moved to the Aylmer Lodge surgery in 1969 and Dr. Price retired in 1974.
Countless patients remember Jim's kindness, his inevitably smart appearance and the unfailing elegance of his manners.
He is survived by his wife Betty and by his 3 children - one of whom is a General
Practitioner.
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Originally coming from the lake District I trained at St. John's College, Cambridge and
Westminster Medical School; after house jobs at Westminster I went into the Royal Navy who had
sponsored me as a student. The first two years were spent as Medical Officer with the Royal
Marine Commandos when I did little medicine but spent a great deal of time skiing and climbing. I
returned to postgraduate general medicine at the Naval Hospital, Haslar.
(Gosport) and then trained in infectious diseases and tropical medicine at East Birmingham
Hospital and St. George's, Tooting. I then went on to do the Diploma of Tropical Medicine
(DTM&H) course in London.
After accreditation I spent 3 years as Consultant at the Naval Hospital, Plymouth and then after
a short spell looking after Kurdish refugees at the end of the Gulf War returned to Haslar as
Consultant Physician and subsequently as Professor of Medicine. However, as the Navy
was undergoing enormous change I decided to move and was highly delighted to be appointed to the Kidderminster
Trust starting on 3rd April 1995. Whilst in the Navy, I was lucky enough to be able to go on
several expeditions to Asia, Africa and North America and develop my enthusiasm for
mountaineering, sailing and travel medicine. Angie and I were married in 1984 and fortunately
she is a keen mountaineer and traveller. Although everyone keeps telling us it is a long way
from the sea we are both very excited about our move to Kidderminster and look forward to
many happy years here.
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After qualifying at Cardiff, my house jobs led into National Service where I
looked after army families at Tidworth. I enjoyed the experience of working with illness
in families which shaped my future career. I returned to South Wales to posts in
general medicine and neurology before becoming interested in psychiatry, an interest
which took me to Wessex and Fife dealing with adult, child and adolescent mental
illness.
Throughout my career I have been fortunate in my teachers and as my career leaned towards mental handicap and learning disability I was guided to, and was
fortunate in being appointed Senior registrar and subsequently Consultant Psychiatrist
from 1972. Lea Castle in 1972 was an exciting place to work under the leadership of Gerry Simon.
His enthusiasm, commitment and a concern and belief in what we were doing, a will
for change and to act as an advocate for a neglected group was challenging and innovative. This is why Lea Castle became a focal point for visitors who came
to exchange ideas and share knowledge in relation to learning disabilities. No child was
regarded as any longer unable to benefit from education.
There was a realisation that the ability to teach new skills lay in us not the patient. Community settings became more relevant to work in. Coombe and
Consterdyne opened with a meaningful evolution of the sharing of responsibilities
between health and social services. Joint planning between health, social services,
education, housing and the voluntary sector saw the opening of many more community based homes.
The early 70s saw the inauguration of the British Institute of mental Subnormality (now the British Institute of Learning Disability) under the leadership of
Gerry Simon which was a forum for all kinds of professional involved with learning
disabilities. I was proud to be its deputy director as it went from strength to strength.
General Practitioners were involved at lea Castle for as long as I can remember; John
Brotherton, Graeme Wilcox, John Ball and Barrie Davies gave invaluable service to
the hospital and helped shape its medical care - which people with learning disability
need as much as anyone else. Over the years while much good occurred, organizational change with positive
and negative sides took place. Administration and management took up more and more time and ability to deliver
services to clients became more difficult. At the same time families who had to cope with learning
disability changed their expectations and became aware of the variety of professionals who were there to help
them.
I hope that the issues of health and social care, of purchasing and providing will continue to meet the
needs of people with learning disability, and their families, because our society as a whole functions best
for everyone as it cares best for the least able and most disadvantaged
amongst its members. Retirement is a new life chapter. I believe it is best to move on
to new interests and not be over concerned about the past and leave the future to younger more able folk
and to believe and trust that they will sort out the new challenges and changing ideas. Hope springs eternal,
I wish them all a successful journey.
Evan Jones
(With Evan's permission his article has been condensed)
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Mine has been a varied career and the 10 years I have spent in Kidderminster is the longest time I
have spent working in anyone post. Following graduation in Birmingham in the same year as Rod
Summers. and John Wilner I spent some years predominantly being a wife and mum, with my career taking
second place. After a few years of sessional work as family planning doctor and blood transfusion doctor, I
entered General Practice in the days prior to vocational training. The practice was in Smethwick, Old bury
and the Winson Green area of Birmingham and so with that and also running the domicilliary Family
Planning Service for the Black Country, I saw something of what life in a big city would be like.
By 1975 my daughters were coming up to their teens and I returned to hospital medicine as a somewhat elderly senior house officer down at Powick, which is where I
first met Sandy Robertson and Martin Willmott. At that stage my career plans were to
be a part time clinical assistant in Psychiatry and find myself a country cottage with
roses around the door! My consultants there made it quite plain that they didn't approve
of that and I was gently but firmly pushed to go onto the rotational training scheme in
Birmingham and to do the membership of the Royal College. Following membership I
acquired a second husband who has continued encouragement and support to the present day.
And so I came to Kidderminster in 1984 to set up a psychogeriatric service. I was
ably assisted not only by my PSychiatric colleagues but also by two very able colleagues in the posts of senior nurse in psychogeriatrics and the specialist social
worker. The development of the present service was the result of this 'terrible trio'
working closely together. Those early years were exciting. In 1984, 02 was a geriatric
ward and Lucy Baldwin was a building site! By 1986, 02 was once again a psychiatric-
ward for the older mentally ill, Lucy's was open with 2 18-bed wards for those with
dementia and the new day hospital was up and running. We had even acquired 2 cats
and a budgie to add to the homely feel on the Lucy wards! Relationships were forged
with social services, with the rest home and nursing home sector and there were regular training programmes organised; those were good years.
And now I am moving on to a very different challenge. I am going to try to raise
the profile of old age psychiatry in South Birmingham. I am treading in the footsteps of a
very able colleague who has now left and I am well aware that this will job be an easy
undertaking. I shall greatly miss the friendly environment of Kidderminster, both its hospital
and surrounding primary care and community services and I am taking many happy memories of the years here with me.
Liz Gregg
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